Comfort
by Fairly Odd New Yorker
Summary: Hallmark's Merlin - Frik attempts to comfort Mab after she experiences heartbreak. One-shot, please R&R!


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**(A/N)**- One-shot. :P Let me know what you think!! Mab truly is a complicated goddess.

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Comfort

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Frik had always admired Mab. He admired her for her skills in magic. He admired her manipulative ways to get her what she wanted. He admired her strength in the face of danger. He admired nearly everything about her. This of course, was back in the day when whenever he'd get struck by her or kicked to the ground, he wholeheartedly felt that he had deserved it.

The way Frik would follow Mab around like a lovestruck puppy, anyone would assume he had feelings for her- feelings of love. Sure he did, such a love anyone would have for their own mother, and nothing more. He looked up to Mab like a mother. After all, 'twas her who gave him magic and helped him to become a master in the art. She had taken him in when he was a young boy. Whenever he referred to Mab, he spoke of her admirably as one may go about describing their own parent and the amazing things they do for a living.

Mab didn't treat him much like a son as time passed. Just like Merlin in the later stories, Frik was like a new toy at first. A new infatuation, something that piqued her interests and passed the time in her infinite life. But as time goes on, just as people treat old toys, Mab was bored with Frik and he was merely just another piece of her collection.

Sure, Mab found Frik helpful, otherwise she'd never keep him around. That little aspect made Frik feel very important, in the sense that he felt he was being kept around not just because he was helpful, but because Mab saw something more in him. Perhaps, hopefully, she respected him enough to think of him as a friend. He feared she read his mind at the moment that thought arose in his head, for he earned a slap to the face and a hiss telling him to "Pay _attention_!"

Frik often wondered if Mab knew how to love. He'd seen her express compassion for the fey, and occasionally court some strange man she'd gotten interested in. Of course, whichever man she was with, she never truly fallen in love with, for she'd pluck them off like pesky burrs after letting them stick around for several days.

Then there was one man that changed Mab's mood entirely. Frik couldn't recall his name and it wasn't his right to know anyway ... quite frankly he could care less for he was certain he'd see this man come and go like all the rest. But this one stayed for more than a couple of months, and Mab was constantly busy just being with him. Frik was overjoyed to receive kick-free days, and rarely when Mab came home to her underground cavern would she shove Frik to the floor for not cleaning up the crystals that she herself had smashed.

The cavern grew brighter with her mood, it seemed. Frik noticed it immediately not only because he was often down there, but because he was intrigued by anything relating to magic. The faeries themselves seemed more joyous than normal, perhaps only effected by Mab's sudden cheerful mood. They at least experienced more of her, for Frik would never know how truly cheerful she was. Mab always ignored him more when she had a companion; whether it was because he was annoying or because said companion might insinuate something more than what Mab and Frik's relationship was ... Frik would never know.

What Frik knew for certain was what goes up ... must come down.

And Mab had soon fallen from grace.

He had never seen her so angry. He knew she was taking it out in anger to hide her tears, but since he never saw her cry he wondered if it were even possible.

He was in the library when he saw a flash of light from the corner of his eye- she had appeared in the crystal chamber with an ear shattering scream of anger. Frik's first instinct was to hide, as he was the usual punching bag. He scurried to hide behind a pile of books in the middle of the floor as Mab's angry yells continued, and began to sound as if she was howling.

The shattering of crystals echoed off the walls as faeries fled from her line of fire- they had been waiting to greet Mab and were sadly mistaken to think that she had still remained in this unusually happy mood of hers.

Papers flew up into the air in the library and began their own tornado as Mab came storming in, cursing her beloved and asking incredulously how he could do something like that to her, and how dare he??

Frik ducked even lower behind the tower of books, praying to the gods that she move along and not find him there.

"And I _thought_ I told you to _pick these **up**_!!" she shouted hysterically, and with a wave of her hand the books came tumbling violently upon Frik's person, causing him to stumble over and be buried in the avalanche of books.

He didn't lay on the floor for long- Mab pulled him up by the cuff of his shirt - what a time for Frik to realize Mab almost always used physical violence when it came to dealing with him. Perhaps magic wasn't enough to let her steam out.

"_Spying_, are we?!" she asked incredulously, her grip on his collar tightening, causing his head piece to tighten around his skull.

"No, madam-I-I-I was just--"

She threw him aside, sending him crashing to the stone floor below. She looked at him briefly and nonchalantly before turning and heading over to her favorite chair.

He slowly got to his feet, and Mab snapped, "Clean them _up_!"

"Of course, madam," he assured nervously, his spindly fingers gathering up as much books as he could as he piled them in his hands up to under his chin. When he made to bring them over to the desk however, they buckled and scattered back to the floor.

Frik's yellow eyes flew nervously to Mab, who, lucky for him, didn't see or seem to hear his mistake- she was sitting with her elbows upon the armrests, one hand clamped tightly over her eyes as she sat still as could be. Frik took this as a blessing to him by the gods and quickly proceeded to clean up the books again.

Amidst his cleaning, he was interrupted by what sounded like someone choking back a sob. He looked up immediately, thinking it was that little Elfin girl, Nix, who had often sought Mab for comfort and guidance. He could see her nowhere, and when he heard the same sound again, he found that it was coming from Queen Mab herself!

He didn't know what to do or say. Should he ignore her? Would she pummel him for ignoring, or pummel him for noticing? ... Either way, he'd be pummeled. He figured he had nothing to lose - he had managed to rid Nix of her tears several times when Mab was not around to comfort her. Perhaps he could try and ease Mab's sorrow ...

Oh, who was he kidding?? This was Mab! Mab, who hated to show any sort of weakness. Mab, who'd certainly deny this happening ever happening. Mab, who'd beat the living daylights out of him if he attempted to care ...

He gulped nervously as he approached her slowly, "Madam?" he asked quietly.

She shifted uneasily in response, her eyes still covered and the rest of her face in shadow, covered by the long dark curtains that was her hair, "Clean up the books, Frik," she reminded hoarsely. Okay, so her voice was always hoarse but he could hint a bit of sadness in her tone.

He found himself reaching for her. Dare he touch her? How worse off could he be? She'd never kill him, would she? He was used to the beatings by now ...

He placed his gloved hand upon her shoulder, and at that touch she whipped around, her green eyes blazing with fury as she immediately slapped him across the face, her fingernails scratching his skin enough to cause him to bleed.

"Why don't you do as you're_ told_??" she screamed. Her eyes were tinged with red and were glassy as if she'd been crying, and he knew she was. But now was not the time to point that out to her.

He quickly leaped away, and she picked a book up with her magic and slammed it hard against his skull, causing him to stumble.

"How **_dare_** you touch me?!" she screamed, getting to her feet, causing Frik to scamper to the other side of the room; he had passed by the door because something in his brain told him to stay. Perhaps if she unleashed her anger upon him there'd be lives to spare.

"I'm sorry, madam- I was only trying to--"

"To _what_??" she asked hysterically, bringing another book into the air with her magic, a particularly heavy one at that, he realized, when it collided with the back of his skull.

"To _comfort_ me??" she offered angrily, bringing another book in the air and holding it there, before hissing to Frik through gritted teeth, "I ... do not ... need ... to be ... **COMFORTED**!!"

She sent the book flying at Frik before sitting down again. Frik could've easily avoided it because she surprisingly wasn't paying attention to where it landed, but instead he took it, and it was an unwise move at that. The blow was enough to make him see stars as he stumbled backward onto the floor.

He rubbed his head as he winced in pain, and eventually he looked to see where his tormentor had gone. She remained in her seat again, same position as before, though she was shaking a bit.

"Madam?" he inquired, but she didn't respond. He took this as a sign to continue saying what he meant to say, but then wondered if she wanted a reason to beat him- as if she needed a reason.

"I just want you to know ..." he said quietly, "that it's all right to feel."

"I'm not feeling anything." she growled.

He looked down, and shrugged before adding quietly, "you're feeling anger ..." he pointed out.

She let out a short humorless laugh, "I _always_ feel anger." she reminded, but didn't remove her hand from her eyes.

Frik steadily approached her again, and stopped short when she asked calmly, "Do you want to die?"

"N-_no_," he stuttered, backing up a step, "I-I just ..."

"Wanted to comfort me ..." she finished for him, removing her hand from her eyes to stare at the floor.

"Can I?" he asked tentatively.

Her emerald eyes locked with his, "Why do you care?"

"I feel it's my need to."

"Because you're my assistant."

"No, it's not that ... it's ..."

"What?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, her eyes not leaving his and he couldn't leave hers - he wondered if she was using magic for that.

He shrugged nervously, "I-I ... I don't know ... it just seems like the right thing to do ..."

She suddenly left his gaze and sucked in air sharply as a new flow of tears threatened to come. She held the heel of her hand to her forehead and shuddered as she refused to let it out; not in front of her assistant in the very least.

"It's all right to feel," he reminded again.

"No!" she shouted, "No, it's not _all right_!" she cupped her face in her hands, pressing them over her eyes before letting them fall to her lap, "I felt for ... _him_ ... and look what it's done!" she sighed shakily, blinking away her tears, and they were the first Frik had ever seen to fall down her cheeks, "I promised myself never to love ... heartbreak is the closest to dying as I'll ever get ..." she realized with another humorless laugh.

She nor Frik had noticed he had neared closer to her.

"We all learn from our mistakes, madam," he explained, hands interlaced across his middle, "and you're lucky to have an eternity to heal ..."

"I suppose you're right ..." she said quietly with a nod. That was the first time he'd ever heard her admit that he was right, and it sent flutters up his spine.

It was good that she didn't realize how close he was sooner, for she probably would've put her guard up and blasted him aside. Frik awkwardly made to hug her, and Mab, in all her grief and despair, wanted nothing more than to be held, to be loved unconditionally, even if it was just the love Frik held within his loyalty to her. She allowed him to hold her as he sat upon her armrest. At least she knew he'd never betray her- she had often thought he would never betray her out of fear of her wrath, but if he worried about her wrath he would've never attempted to comfort her ... at least not twice.

"Don't you dare tell anyone about this," she said in a sigh as she rested her head upon his chest, hearing his heartbeat. She knew he had one, but what about herself? She felt it was gone with her love ... but if she could no longer love, then what was this feeling, just now? What was this connection between her and Frik? She realized that she may never know.

"Don't worry, I won't tell," he promised, and she laughed lightly, pulling him closer. Even if this were the last time she'd show compassion to Frik, Frik was entirely grateful for this one small moment with his Queen

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**(A/N)**- Aww, now wasn't that sweet? Tried not to make Mab out-of-character, and I hope I didn't. Please review and be nice about it! Constructive criticism is welcome.

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